This week, April 21-27, 2013, is National Infertility Awareness Week, and we wanted to to provide an uplifting story but one with twists, difficulties and heartbreak, too. Dr. Ahlering and the entire staff of MCRM understands how emotional and trying the infertility process can be. And the trip can continue to be one filled with overwhelming emotions right up until the day of birth and beyond. While there may seem to be road blocks along your fertility route, Dr. Ahlering strives to find ways to eliminate them and bring the joy into your life that you have been desiring. I am 30 years old and I have been married to the most wonderful man in the world for the last nine years. In 2002, we decided to start a family but after two years of trying on our own, I still was not pregnant. Over the next few years, my husband and I both saw several doctors and had a myriad of tests performed. We found out that my husband’s sperm count was low and there was no medical reason why. We decided to go see a fertility specialist that specialized in male and female fertility. He told us that our only hope of having a baby of our own was through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF.) At that very moment, my husband and I both knew we were never going to get to be parents. I mean, how could we afford IVF? We both worked, but we didn’t make a lot of money. As we left the doctor’s office that day, I couldn’t help but to ask God why every other woman got to be a mother, everyone but me. In that moment, I felt all my hopes and dreams just vanish. It seemed everywhere I looked was a mother with her child. I wanted so badly to have that for myself and my husband. Several weeks later, I decided to call our health insurance company just on the chance that maybe, by some long shot, we had infertility coverage. To my surprise, I was told we did have infertility coverage and it included IVF! That night I went home and told my husband the wonderful news. We were both so excited we were finally going to get the chance we had both been praying so long for. Our journey to parenthood started in October 2007. After our second IVF attempt, we got the news we had waited six years to hear. We were going to have a BABY!!!! But that was only the beginning. I was pregnant with twins– a boy and a girl!! The next several months were wonderful. The babies were growing right on schedule and just as healthy as they could be. It was the happiest time of our lives and we couldn’t wait to welcome them into our home. My husband rubbed my belly, talking to the babies every night. We bonded with them immediately. Then on May 10, 2008 , a day that was supposed to be filled with fun, our world came to a shattering halt. I was 23 weeks pregnant. My mom and I were going to a baby show in Lexington . After the show, we were going to pick out the cribs and register for all the baby things we would need for the twins. I woke up that morning with a little cramping and spotting. I called my doctor and was told that was normal with twins and if it got worse, I should call. Mom and I decided to go on to Lexington. Luckily for my health, the baby show was at a world class hospital. In a few hours, instead of going shopping for the twins, I was in the emergency room giving birth to my precious babies. Kayla Sue weighed 1.1 lbs and Austin Bryan weighed 1.2 lbs. They were both so small, but the two most beautiful babies I had ever seen. The next several months were heartbreaking and my heart still aches every day for my twin angels.
